Off-road Taupedo

/0 Comments/in /by

The 76 Series Landcruiser wagon is fast becoming the weapon of choice for those that want to get down and dirty, and do some serious off-roading. Add one Jmacx Coil Conversion with 4 inches of lift and 35″ tyres and you are looking at one truly unstoppable combination. Colour choice is a no-brainer for this caliber of 4WD. Sandy Taupe – is there any other colour?

After a bit of inspiration from previous builds that we’ve done and a love of the almighty 70 Series, our customer Adam approached us to build the ultimate track tackler with the Sandy Taupe theme to run not only on the top side of the wagon, but the undercarriage as well. The Jmacx coil cradle, panard rod, control and radius arms all received the Sandy Taupe treatment before they left the sunshine state and lobbed on our workshop floor.

This set-up was done on Kings remote res shocks all round with the assistance of Airbag Man airbags in the rear coils giving this big wagon a completely legal four inches of lift on 35 inch tyres with an upgraded GVM to 3900kgs. As usual the Jmacx conversion has enhanced the off-road ability of the 76 ten fold.

Setting the look of this weapon right off is the Method NV Machined face wheels which measure in at 17×8.5 inches and they’re wrapped in a set of BF Goodrich KM3 mud tyres measuring 315/70/17 or 35 inches of chunky goodness in the old scale.

Bar work is the TJM T13 Outback steel winch bar, brush bars and side steps and the bar houses a TJM 12,000lbs Torq winch for recovery and a set of Stedi Type X Pro LED driving lights for turning night into day.

A Kaymar rear bar with single wheel carrier takes care of protection for the departures off-road and also gets the weight of the heavy 35 inch tyre and wheel off the back door.

The factory two piece Toyota snorkel was scrapped in favour of the higher-flowing and better sealed TJM Airtec snorkel. A HPD catch can and Diesel Care primary fuel filter was also fitted for giving the engine the maximum protection from fuel and oil contaminates and prolonging engine life.

The standard GXL flares were colour coded to match the Sandy Taupe theme and a set of Bushranger Flexi Flares were fitted to keep the law at bay with those big boots. The chrome GXL grille and mirrors were also blacked out for a tougher look.

A Rhino Pioneer platform was also fitted with a Darche Eclipse 2.5m side awning to beat the harsh Aussie elements while out and about on the tracks. The platform is 2.1 m long, giving plenty of extra storage room up-top for all the camping gear and has a Stedi 51 inch Slimline light bar for additional nighttime off-road driving enhancement.

One of the biggest downfalls of the 70 Series Landcruiser is the factory sound insulation leaves a lot to be desired. To rectify this, we completely stripped the interior out and fitted Dynamat Xtreme sound deadening to the doors and floor dramatically reducing road noise and body panel vibration.

The centre console was upgraded to the Department of the Interior Full Length Floor Console and an overhead console was fitted with a unit from Cruiser Consoles. A GME XRS370 UHF radio was fitted with the AE4700 All-terrain series antenna to take care of communications with that neat hide-away look.

The interior was finished off with a set of Black Duck 4 Elements seat covers and some Lightforce factory style switches to keep all the lighting switches looking neat and tidy.

This Sandy Taupe 76 wagon is one weapon of of an off-roader and well set up to take on the hardest tracks this country has to offer. Keep an eye out for Adam and his beast out on the tracks.

 

 

 

Stretched 79

/0 Comments/in /by

It all started with something simple – a bare bones, plain-Jane white 79 Series Dual Cab -brand new, but looking a little on the sad side to be honest! I know – let’s chop it up and make it longer! That was the call from business owner Michael and the plans were set in place for our new shop 79 Series.

But it wasn’t as simple as that. I know we’ve said it before, but this thing turned in to the biggest build we’ve ever done…literally. The foundation of this Goliath 79 is the chassis built by Jmacx Engineering which has lengthened the wheelbase by 300mm, displacing the bulk of the loaded weight further forward of the rear axle, and making the big girl more stable on and off the road. There’s more than meets the eye with this seriously heavy duty chassis though, as it also incorporates the coil cradle to complete the coil spring conversion without the need for an additional bolt-in cradle. The beauty of this set-up is the ability to legally raise the maximum GVM to 4490kg and the towing capacity to 4t. With a lower tare weight than most yank trucks available here – this leaves the payload on the stretched 79 greater than anything else on our market.

With that in mind, we set about loading this thing up to tackle anything this country’s harshest conditions can throw at it. Michael had plans to not only build a 79 with the works, but something that met his needs for touring, work and everyday driving. The next stand-out feature is the custom built alloy tray and jack-off canopy built by Mits Alloy.

Mits Alloy are a company based locally to us, that had already been building awesome trays and canopies for some of our customers, so we got them involved in the build early on in the piece to come up with some with a solution to suit the modified chassis. The end result is capable of utilising three fridges including the custom Waeco CFX100 beer keg fridge complete with built in beer taps. Other additions include the Dometic 110L upright fridge and the Waeco CFX75L Dual Zone fridge on the Clearview ES220 Plus drop-down fridge slide. After all – you can never have too much room for beer….and food!

The fridges and all the lighting are powered by the Enerdrive 12v/240v management system running a 200Ah Enerdrive lithium battery all mounted in the canopy.  The system receives charge from the alternator via a TJM 25a DC/DC charger and Century Dualforce battery mounted under the bonnet, and there’s also solar input into the system for remote charging.

The DB Drive 36″ sound bar provides fat beats for the campsite and is controlled via Bluetooth through your phone and the canopy is finished off with Stedi work lights and LED strip lighting through-out.

There’s room in the under body lockers for the on-board air inflation kit by Airbag Man and it’s controlled via the TJM Connect accessories management system. This takes care of inflation of the air bag suspension on the fly and has flush mounted air fitting for running a hose to the tyres for inflation.

Piggy-backing the canopy is the Jmacx coil spring rear-end which uses a combination of Kings 2.5 remote res shocks and heavy duty coils with Airbag Man High Pressure airbags in the rear to assist in stabilising the load. The rear coils provide a much more refined ride, better axle articulation and the refabricated diff housing and upgraded axles provide added strength to make the rear-end bulletproof, even with the added weight. Can’t winch forward? The Jmacx chassis has its own rear mounted winch cradle which houses a TJM 12,000lbs Torq winch perfect for getting out of those tricky spots.

Power upgrades are curtesy of Streamline Automotive who preformed a remap on their dyno. This combined with a HPD upgraded intercooler, TJM Airtec snorkel and Patrol Doctor Air box have increased power by 42% and torque is up a massive 68% over the stock numbers. It’s more than enough to get the big girl up and sprinting off the mark. Exhaust gas is flowing hard and fast thanks to the Torqit 3.5 inch stainless steel system made specifically to suit the unique routing of the extended and coiled rear end of the Jmacx chassis. There’s a HPD catch can and Diesel Care Pre Filter system for better engine protection.

A heavy duty clutch is a necessary upgrade once you start adding weight, power and/or bigger wheels on the 79 and a requirement for the 4490kg GVM Upgrade. The clutch supplied with the kit is by NPC and they are our go-to supplier for clutch upgrades.

Barwork is all by TJM with the T13 Outback bar up front, brush rails and side steps, all running 63mm tubing. The bar houses a TJM 12,000lbs Torq Winch and a set of Stedi Type X Pros light up the night up- front. Giving a good spread of side lighting is two 11.5 inch Stedi light bars mounted under the headlights and two GME antennas take care of communications, with one for UHF and one as a phone booster.

A Rhino Pioneer roof platform is fitted with more lightwork from Stedi including a 41.5 inch slimline lightbar up-front and two side facing 11.5 inch slimline light bars to light up the campsite. A Rhino Sunseeker Awning is bolted to protect patrons from the elements whilst attending the beer keg fridge, and the platform also has a Rhino hi-lift jack and shovel holder for extra recovery gear storage.

The interior has received the once-over with over-head and centre consoles from Department of the Interior that house the TJM Connect control panel and a Uniden 9080 UHF radio. Seat covers are care of Black Duck and there’s a Kenwood in-dash entertainment system front and centre, running upgraded speakers and a slimline subwoofer behind the back seat. The whole interior has been soundproofed using Dyno Mat to reduce panel vibration while the stereo is cranking and to reduce road noise.


The whole package is rolling on ROH Maverick Alloy wheels measuring at 16x 8 inches and a set of 315/75 R16s by BF Goodrich which are a KM3 mud terrain tyre. If you’re in the market for an ultra-tough touring truck that has a payload unlike anything else on the market, then give us a call to find out what we can build for you. We’ve built this truck for a purpose and no matter what your purpose we can build one to suit your needs –  ready to tour, ready to work or just ready to hit all the hard tracks – Redi-built by Redi 4×4!



 

 

 

 

Bush to Beach Touring

/0 Comments/in /by

You don’t always have to go the most remote corners of the country to get your touring fix – nor do you have to find the hardest tracks to have an excuse to  load your 4WD up and get out and about. We have so many good spots to explore – all within a few hours of home and the thing we love most about this country is that you can be secluded deep within a mountain range, perched up sinking bevies in a freshwater river or dipping in the surf at a pristine coastal campsite all in the same day.

We take every opportunity we can to get our 4WDs out and use them, so when an opportunity arose, we wasted no time in loading the big 79 up and headed straight for the hills for the first stint of a round about trip that would see us going from bush to beach and back again.

The original plan was to head for the Victorian High Country for a week with a bunch of our good customers we had invited along for the trip. Unforeseen circumstances caused for a few late minute changes to the plan and before we knew it we were heading northwest instead of south with a crew of 4 vehicles instead of a crew of 10.

Our first stop would be Chaffy Dam, just southeast of Tamworth and even though the water levels were pretty low at the time, the weather turned on some perfect conditions for a swim and a great first spot to pull up camp. It’s an easy drive out of Newcastle with a bit of dirt road and some beautiful scenery coming up the back way through Moonan Flat to Nundle. Rolling green hills were the order of the day and it was great to see some recent rainfall transform the brown, arid countryside back to a pleasant shade of green again. A quick pit-stop at the Victoria Hotel at Moonan Flat is definitely worth the detour for a some light refreshments.

The campsite, which has some good amenities, has bucket loads of wide open campsites perfect for groups of campers – but with enough space to set up away form everyone. There’s no powered sites though, so a good battery and solar set -up is a must for extended stays. Water-front views don’t get any better than this though, and it really makes the trip out worth it.

From there, we pushed further north and set about exploring parts of the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. Nestled just outside the small township of Walcha this national park lies within the Northern Tablelands and features the spectacular Apsley Falls and Apsley River. Unfortunately the recent rain wasn’t quite enough to get the falls flowing but the river was still moving quick enough for us to enjoy the last of the warm weather and take in a quick dip in the refreshing fresh water river.

Riverside Campground is a well equipped campsite that requires the collection of keys from the National Parks and Wildlife office at Walcha so bookings are essential for this site, but are worth it for the seclusion and the views of the mountain ranges on the way in to the campsite are nothing short of spectacular.

From here, we cut a B-line through the national park from Yarrowich to Bellbrook taking in the mountain sites. The driving is fairly easy but can be greasy in the wet so while you won’t be lifting wheels or using diff locks any time soon, it’s advisable to prepare fop the worst in-case the mountains turn on some wild weather. You can pick up some basic supplies at Bellbrook including fuel or stop for a quick counter lunch at the Bellbrook Hotel.

From Bellbrook we pushed further west to Georges Junction – a sensational grassy campsite on the banks of the Macleay River. Campsites don’t get much nicer than this one with wide-open, flat, grassy campsites right on some of the best parts of the Macleay. You can lock the hubs in and cross the river here with water depths ranging from hub depth through to bonnet depth depending on recent rain fall. There’s some good little low range 4WD challenges around the area (again not overly hard but still plenty of fun) so this campsite has a bit of everything.

Amenities are fairly basic including long-drop toilets and non-powered sites but the campsite is far enough away from civilisation to give you the remote touring fix without having to travel to the ends of the earth. We enjoyed the last of our wonderful summer weather bathing off the dust in the fresh, clear waters of the mighty Macleay.

So we’d enjoyed out stint in the bush and it was time to head east to our beautiful coast-line. After a quick stop at Kempsey for some last minute supplies, we headed out towards Cresent Head and then south towards Port Macquiarie – our beach campsite for the night would be Point Plomer. Situated within the Limeburners National Park, this pristine campsite has its own beach, great facilities and is only a short drive from the major towns of either Kempsey or Port Macquarie.

There’s plenty to do here including swimming, surfing, bush walking and it’s one of the best locations in the area to spot migrating whales off the headlands.

 

There’s a huge (cold showers) amenities block, picnic tables and fire pits. Fire wood and basic supplies are available from the site office and bookings are essential in holiday season –  but generally outside of these times there are plenty of campsites to choose from. The track back through to Port Macquarie is 4WD only as it can be very rutted as well as having deep sand sections and can get some serious mud also after heavy rain.

 

 

 

The alternative to this track is to drive on to the beach at Queens Head and drive south down the beach to the exit track which brings you out on Port Macquarie’s North Shore, where the Point Plomer Track also ends. From here, it’s a short trip across the punt to Settlement Point and Port Macquarie CBD.

It just goes to show that there’s plenty of touring opportunities available to get your fix without having to drive to the middle of the country. We all love those big trips but a lot of the time it all comes down to how much time we can afford to spend travelling, so more often than not a local touring trip is much more appealing and realistic than a trip to the High Country, Birdsville or Cape York – so it’s good to know that you can still load up your 4WD, see some spectacular sites and some good remote camping, all over a few days rather than a few weeks.

 

 

 

 

Sandy Taupe Touring

/0 Comments/in /by

2019 is shaping up to be another big year of 70 series Jmacx builds and they just keep getting bigger and better. Our customer Chris came to us last year with an idea of putting together his ultimate dream touring machine and this week his dream became a reality as we put the finishing touches on one of our biggest builds to date.

It was also the first time we worked together with one of the biggest up and coming canopy manufacturers – Mits Alloy, to come up with a custom fit-out to suit Chris’s exact needs for touring. We couldn’t be happier with the results and Chris is over the moon with his new build.

The guys at Mits spared no attention to detail and set about with Chris in configuring a layout that incorporates a Waeco CFX75 Dual Zone fridge and Clearview Pantry/ Kitchen both on Clearview drop-down slides. A Travel Buddy 12v marine oven keeps the pies warm and additional water tanks are fitted for long distance touring. This set-up is powered by a 40A charging system by Enerdrive using Dc and AC chargers powering a 200A/hr Enerdrive lithium battery. There’s also enough LED lighting to light up a football field with 2 Stedi 11.5″ light bars mounted off the side of the Rhino Pioneer Platform to light up the campsites. The guys at TJM Hunter Valley spent several painstaking hours to wire in a system that is built to take on the harsh Aussie conditions and provide consistent power on-demand for this ultimate touring set-up.  A Darche Panorama roof top tent and 2 Darche Awnings finish off this mobile, ready to go campsite and the whole canopy is finished in colour coded Sandy Taupe which we think is an awesome touch to one of the best laid out canopies we’ve seen roll out of our workshop.

The other stand-out feature for this build is of course the Jmacx rear coil-spring conversion. The off-road capability is improved by adding greater axle articulation, corrected wheel track, a  more refined ride and the Kings remote reservoir shocks soak up the corrugations like they don’t even exist. This kit takes the legal GVM up to 3900kg for the 79, improving its load carrying capabilities for those long distance remote touring stints when you need to carry as much fuel, water and supplies as you can- all while riding at a legal 4 inches of lift.

 

Airbag Man high pressure airbags assist with load carrying duties giving an adjustable load rate and the system is controlled using the Airbag Man Dual Control on-board inflation kit which runs a compressor and reserve tank in the tray tool box and pressure can be adjusted on the fly, in-cab.

Protecting the front end of this tough 79 is a TJM T13 Outback bar, TJM brush bars and side steps – all running 63mm tubing and the bar houses a TJM 12,000lbs synthetic rope winch to take care of recovery duties when the going gets tough. A set of Stedi Type-X Pro LED driving lights are housed on the bar and turn night in to day on those overnight runs. Out-back sits a Hayman Reese X Bar incorporating three extra heavy duty recovery points and a heavy duty tow bar. Chris might get this thing stuck every now and then, but he’ll certainly have no problems getting it un-stuck.

We sent this Sandy Taupe beast up to the guys at Streamline Automotive to work their magic with it and they were able to tune the sleepy VDJ motor up to over 135kW and over 640Nm of torque at 1900rpm. Torqit puts together a 3.5″ stainless steel exhaust for the Jmacx unique routing requirements and that in combination with the Safari Armax snorkel gets those gases flowing much more efficiently and the engine now breathes much better than the restrictive factory system would ever allow it to.

A Taipan billet alloy catch can and Diesel Care secondary fuel filter system give the engine added protection from diesel and oil contaminates and there’s also a TJM dual battery system installed under-bonnet for extra power to run lighting and accessories in the vehicle using a Century AGM battery with solar input.

An NPC heavy duty clutch was installed to handle the added weight and power and help pull the big girl through the rough stuff and a Long Range Automotive 180L long range replacement tank was installed to give the fuel range required to do some decent remote touring.

The inside of Chris’s truck received the once-over as well with Department of the Interior supplying both over head and centre consoles for added storage and comfort as well as providing a great mounting point for the extensive switch panels required to control all the accessories in the truck. House of Soundz at Kotara fitted out a thumping Kenwood sound system including rear seat mounted sub-woofer with a GME AM/FM booster antenna, and communications are handles via two GME XRS 330C UHF radios with two GME 6Dbi gain heavy duty antennas. Wet Seat neoprene seat covers by Inland Australia protect the original fabric and a set of Sandgrabber floor mats by No Bull keep the mud and sand out of the carpet.

The whole build is rolling on a set of ROH Maverick 17x9s with custom colouring and are wrapped in a set of Nitto Grappler mud terrains measuring 35x 12.5 inches. the original GXL flares were colour coded to match the whole Sandy Taupe theme and make awesome finishing touches on what we think is the tidiest Sandy Taupe 79 getting around. Chris is stoked with his new build and can’t wait to rack up some big kays on the big beast and we are excited to see another big build roll out of the workshop. You can see more of Chris’s truck by following him on his Instagram page @dtour4x4.

 

 

 

Top Secret Sandy Taupe

/0 Comments/in /by

Nothing says classic Toyota more than a Sandy Taupe 70 Series Landcruiser! It was definitely a bucket list item to own a new one for our customer Tim, who after hearing about what we can do to these things, gave us a call for a quote to get the full kit. The quote soon became a reality and the orders were given for the guys at Penrith Toyota to ship the brand new 76 wagon up to us to get the once over and waive our magic. There were special orders along with this build though, as Tim had specifically requested that he didn’t want to see the car until it was completed. Not only that – he hadn’t even told his mates about it, with the intention off just rocking up one day in this new – fully built weapon of a wagon.

A Jmacx rear coil spring conversion was a must for this build and this particular kit was finished with Kings remote res shocks, custom Jmacx 4″ coil springs, billet Jmacx front radius arms and of course that bulletproof Jmacx fully refabricated rear axle assembly – bringing the GVM up to 3900kg and fully legal lift of 4 inches.

Bar work is the full TJM compliment including the T13 Outback bull bar, brush bars and side steps, as well as a TJM front underbody guard making the front end as bulletproof as the rear. Rear protection is thanks to Uneek 4×4 rear bar with single wheel carrier setting this 76 apart form the rest.  The bull bar houses a TJM Torq 12,000lbs winch featuring synthetic rope and wireless remote function.

Load storage is increased with a Pioneer Platform by Rhino Rack which also carries the TJM high lift jack and Darche 270 Eclipse awning giving the best protection possible from the elements.

An iDrive pedal controller was fitted for improved engine responsiveness and reduced turbo lag. This works well in combination with the Torqit 3.5″ stainless steel exhaust designed specifically to suit the routing requirements of the Jmacx coil cradle. The engine has been given the best chance to survive harmful exhaust gas and oil recirculation with a Taipan billet alloy, chassis mounted catch can. Extra protection against fuel contaminates in today’s age of fragile common rail fuel injection systems is taken care of by a Diesel Care secondary fuel filtration system for added insurance. A Harrop 4 port breather unit was also fitted to supply vital ventilation to both diffs, gearbox and transfer case.

A luxury often overlooked by 70 Series owners is not having to climb over the passenger seat, drop the window and adjust the passenger side mirror. Fortunately Clearview Towing Mirrors are all over this and have designed a mirror that not only offers superior vision when towing but also the convenience of power adjustment from inside the cab – something all 70 Series owners would have cursed about lacking at one stage of their lives or another. A set was bolted up to this Sandy Taupe beast finally bringing it in to the modern era of motor cars.

A GME XRS UHF radio was fitted to take care of comms and a Redarc Tow Pro Elite handles trailer braking for those towing trips. A set of Black Duck canvas seat covers were fitted front and rear to handle the dirty conditions that comes part and parcel with the off-road lifestyle.

The whole build is rolling on a set of 16 x 8 Allied Savvana Imitation Bead Lock rims with a -15 offset and Mickey Thompson ATZ P3 tyres measuring 315/75 x 16 to get traction to the ground. These are not only a tuff wheel but really set the look of this wagon off. Tim is over the moon about his build and the element of surprise really put the icing on the cake. Tim’s mates were blown away when he lobbed in his new beast and I’m sure we will see more of this thing to come yet.

We’re Turning 5

/0 Comments/in , /by

And we’re celebrating with even more savings! Michael and Carly took ownership of the business 5 years ago this November, and from there they’ve seen the store go from strength to strength including becoming one of Australia’s top selling TJM stores. So on top of our current Yellow With Envy Sale, we are offering savings on just about everything in store. But get in quick because some of these savings are only on stock items in-store. Check out some of the savings we have on offer:

Sale Prices

Uniden:

  • UH9060 Radio + AT880TP Twin pack antenna +UP44 Power bank $439.90
  • Oricom:
  • UHF182 Radio + ANU220 $229.50
  • DTX4000 Radio + ANU230 Antenna $404.60
  • UHF300 Radio $148.45
  • UHFTP2190 Trade Pack Handhelds $137.40

Stedi:

  • Free set of Anti-theft lock nuts with every set of Type X driving lights.
  • LEDSTK-22-40L 22Inch Double Row Light bar $190

Safe-T-Step:

  • 15% off steps in store

MaxTrax:

  • $279

Darche:

  • 15% Off Darche Products

Fast Aid:

  • 15% off Fast Aid products – store stock only

Goal Zero:

  • 13007 Nomad Solar Panel $699.30
  • 32002 Life A Light Mini $23.40
  • 14003 Guardian 12V Plus $69.30
  • 91006 Solar Kit Yeti Boulder 30 $527.20
  • 44003 Guardian 12v Nomad Kit 13 $174.30
  • 10% off all other Goal Zero Products

Evakool:

  • 10% off Evakool Fridges

Roadsafe:

  • 25% off all Extended Shackles In store
  • 10% off all recovery tow points in store

Narva:

  • 20% off all Narva switches and electrical

TJM:

  • PXI, PXII & PX Ranger. Buy Side Steps Get 50% off brush bars. Store Stock only.

Britax:

  • DL2203 or DL2202 Halogen Driving Lights – Including Harness (DLWIRE-KIT-12V) $295 a Pair – Store Stock Only

Rhino Rack

  • 10% off All Rhino Products

Clearview

  • Free Fitting On Clearview Mirrors (Excludes 79 Series/ Jeep GC)
  • 5% off all Fridge Slides

Hema

  • HX1  store stock only $599

Inland Australia

  • 10% off Wetseat/ Tuffseat Covers

Haman Reece

  • 10% off Towbars & towing Equipment

Yakima

  • 40% off Lock N Load Platforms – Store Stock only, Includes:
  • 8000340 (Platform D)
  • 8000339 (Platform C)
  • 8000341 (Platform E)
  • 8000337 (Platform A)

 

Yellow With Envy 2 Sale

/0 Comments/in , /by

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s that time of year again and our last Yellow With Envy sale proved to be so popular that we have decided to do it over again. There will be huge savings across our range and we are taking the opportunity to release an exciting, brand new product for TJM – introducing the all-new Chaser Bar! Check out the details of the new bar as well as our awesome sale deals in the online catalogue here. In addition to these huge savings, TJM Hunter Valley will be offering discount on just about all of our products from our other partner suppliers as well. So if you’re looking to do a big build or just pick up a few bits and pieces – now is the perfect time. Check out the online catalogue then fill in an online inquiry form, give us a call, or pop into the store to get a quote and save yourself a bundle.

 

Click here to view the online catalogue

Troopy Fever

/0 Comments/in /by

Is there anything more iconic on the Australian 4WD scene than a Troop Carrier Landcruiser? Thinking back to our younger days when the old 40 series troopy ruled the tracks right through to the current day’s 78 –  you would be hard pressed to visit the outback, the top end, the high country or even a local camping trip without seeing a kitted up or a beaten up off-white brick on wheels. They really do epitomise everything we’ve ever loved about a 4WD – rugged, tough, basic and practical….and square! So when some customers approached us about building up the ultimate Troopy for them, you can bet we were pretty damn excited to sink our teeth into the project.

To relieve the customers of some of the basics – the first modification was always going to be a Jmacx rear coil spring conversion. Imagine having the refined ride comfort and axle articulation of a more sedate 4WD put in the chassis of one of the toughest 4WDs ever built! That was an awesome start to this build and the kit included the best of the best – Kings 2.5 remote canister shock absorbers, Airbag Man high pressure air bags and Jmacx billet front radius arms. Torqit also fabbed up a custom 3.5 inch stainless steel DPF back exhaust to suit the Jmacx coil cradle and give the performance and exhaust note that this beast truly deserves. The Troopy was raised a height of 2 inches in suspension lift to fulfil the demands of touring this great country of ours.

“Imagine having the refined ride comfort and axle articulation of a more sedate 4WD put in the chassis of one of the toughest 4WDs ever built!”

Bar work includes the fattest bar available off the shelf by TJM – the T13 Outback bar with massive 63mm tubing, and brush bars and side steps to suit. A Kaymar rear bar with single wheel carrier was also fitted to the back, and given that Kaymar have been around almost as long as the Troopy itself building bars for them – it hardly seems like there was any choice to be made for a rear bar.

A TJM 12,000lbs Torq winch sits out-front to take care of any recovery duties. Turning day into night is as simple as adding a pair of TJM Narva 215 LED driving lights and a Stedi 21.5 inch slim line single row light bar, so now no roo goes unseen on those endless outback roads!

A TJM Airtec snorkel is feeding cooler, cleaner air to the airbox and is welcome improvement over the standard OE item. A Rhino Pioneer Platform gives the Troopy added storage capacity and a Darche Eclipse 2 x 2.5m awning is mounted off the side of the platform as well as an Eclipse 1.4 x 2m awning which is mounted off the back to provide plenty of shelter from the harsh Aussie sun and rain.

A dual battery system powers auxiliary accessories using the TJM BC-DC 25A charger and Ultimate Red Top AGM 110A/hr battery with a Projector dual battery monitor. Other under-bonnet accessories include a Diesel Care Pre-fuel filter and a HPD billet alloy catch can for protecting the thumping big VDJ from fuel and oil contaminates. There’s also a set of Harrop diff breaters venting the diffs and gearbox for piece of mind.

A few changes to the interior of the Troopy include a T-Shaped Roof Console from Department of the Interior which houses a Uniden 9050 din sized UHF and is receiving signal through the giant Axis Ranger 4Dbi antenna. A set of  Wetseat seat covers by Inland Australia keep the seats in new condition and there’s an Autosafe cargo barrier to stop in-vehicle traffic with a fire extinguisher fitted for when parties get out of hand. A Redarc TowPro Elite takes care of trailer braking duties and we’ve bolted on a set of Clearview mirrors to assist in dragging the big van around.

The whole package is rolling on a set of Dynamic Imitation Beadlock rims wrapped in Hankook Dyanpro Mud Terrain tyres that measure 285/75 x 16 inches. There’s a set of TJM Deluxe flares to hide the wheel poke and these flares replicate the GXL standard flares that the Troop Carriers lack. This Troopy is well setup to take on the outback and I’m sure we will see this awesome looking brick popping up in some well- known and not so well-known locations around Aus.


 

 

LC 200 Touring

/0 Comments/in /by

There’s not much out there on the market than can rival the 200 Series Landcruiser as a touring vehicle. The large, powerful V8 diesel wagon has a seemingly endless list of accessories available. Our customer Mark jumped on board when one came up for the right price and then sent it to us to go to town on this tidy Pearl White example.

We fitted this 200 Series out with the TJM T13 Outback bull bar, brush bars and side steps. The bar work features 63mm tubing right through from the bull bar to the steps and gives the 200 plenty of protection against things that jump out from the shadows. The bar work has also been colour coded to match the pearl white paint scheme of the Cruiser. There’s also under body protection for the big wagon – another item from TJM giving the sump 3mm of heavy duty protection off-road.

The bull bar also housed a TJM Torq Black Winch which is a 9,500lbs unit with synthetic rope and wireless remote to take care of any recovery duties required and there’s a set of heavy duty rated recovery points by Roadsafe to assist with equalising any snatching forces on the vehicle. On top of the bar base also sits a Stedi 22″ double row light bar which gives a great combination of spread and distance.

There’s a TJM Airtec snorkel fitted to the vehicle feeding cleaner, cooler air into the intake and this compliments the existing performance module and the Torqit performance exhaust which is a twin 3″ into single 4″ stainless steel system which gives this 200 an awesome note. Other under-bonnet accessories include a dual battery system using the TJM 3 Stage BCDC charger and 100 A/hr deep cycle battery to take care of power needs while touring and camping.

This big rig is riding on Fox 2.0 Performance shocks, TJM coils and is running a Roadsafe Diff Drop kit and Blackhawk heavy duty upper control arms. A set Ion 179 rims measuring 18×9″ and BF Goodrich KM2s measuring 305/60R18 gets the power to the ground.

 

 

 

Communications are handled by a Uniden 9080 UHF radio and GME AE4704B 2.15dBi antenna and there are a set of Rhino Vortex Aero bars fitted for extra load carrying capacity.  There’s also a Redarc Tow Pro Elite to take care of trailer braking. The customer has some big touring plans for the 200 so I’m sure we will see this big white wagon popping up somewhere covered in red dust.

 

Nav Life

/0 Comments/in /by

The dual cab ute market is without a doubt, the hottest contested market on the Australian 4WD scene at the moment. With the huge variety to pick from (which seems to be gaining new makes and models every year lately), it seems that the decision to buy one is the easiest in the process. The Nissan NP300 Navara is just one of those contenders and while it’s not trumping all the tow tests (as you would expect from a vehicle with a coil sprung rear end), it certainly is offering something that no other manufacturer is currently offering (with the exception of Ford’s new Raptor Ranger). The coil spring rear end arrangement offers more ride refinement and better axle articulation/ travel than other leaf spring models on the market and for many punters these things are high on the list when it comes to buying a ute. After all – not everyone is looking to tow 3.5 tonnes every day of the week, so it’s no wonder the NP300 is gaining popularity fast.

Our customers bought their Navara to us after eyeing the TJM bar work off on our website, with the idea of retaining the factory colour scheme while still gaining some protection for their Navara. The T3 Explorer bull bar was fitted to the front of the Nissan and colour coded to factory white pearl colour.  The bar houses a TJM Torq Black Edition winch which is a 9,500lbs unit with wireless remote, black synthetic rope and black accented hawse fairlead to take care of recovery duties.

We also fitted a set of TJM heavy duty side steps and TJM RB6 Rear Bar which were colour coded to match the silver from the original factory steps and rear bumper thus retaining the factory look. TJM underbody guards were fitted right through to the transmission and transfer case giving the Nav’s vital underbody components 3mm of heavy-duty steel protection.

We also set about installing a TJM Airtec Snorkel to the NP300 for cooler, cleaner airflow to the intake. This particular one has the Wedgetail style head for a lower profile which keeps the snorkel head down and out of harms way.

The whole towing issue is quite easily solved on the NP300 by upgrading the suspension and for this build we fitted the TJM suspension using the XJS Series 4000 shock absorbers which are 40mm twin tube gas shock. The coils were also upgraded to handle the additional weight on the front and towing duties at the rear, as well as giving the vehicle a bit more ground clearance and better angles for off-road work.

A Darche Eclipse 2 x 2.5m awning and roof racks were fitted previously by the owner and there is more work in the pipeline for this Navara including wheels, tyres and a dual battery system which has been partially installed. I’m sure we will see this NP300 out and about touring this great country of ours so keep your eyes out for it.